An oft-asked question by caged bird keepers is “how do I give my bird powdered supplements”? Pet bird supplement manufacturers are very good at letting us know what is in the supplements and providing us with precise dosages based upon the size of the bird.
What they never tell us is how to get the supplements IN the bird. Most of them are water-soluble but we’ve all watched our birds drink, they don’t drink a lot in terms of volume so we end up throwing a dish of water out two to three times a day along with any diluted vitamins that would be in the water. This is wasteful.
Recently our cockatiel Popcorn was diagnosed with a compromised immune system by our board-certified avian vet Byron de la Navarre, DVM — Chief of Staff @ Animal House here in Chicago This was a result of stress from the seasonal changing light cycles, a recent molt and some reproductive activity. Dr. Byron administered a highly potent antibiotic and prescribed an oral antibiotic that we administered to Popcorn orally twice a day for about 10 days.
The not-so-fine print: I am not an avian behaviorist. I have no formal training in veterinary medicine. My expertise is in helping you create the best environment that you can for your bird.
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Rhamphorthotics, or correction of developmental abnormalities of the beak of juvenile psittacines has been well described by Clipsham and others. 1 2,3 Techniques are described for correction of “Scissors beak” or lateral deviation of the premaxilla or maxillary beak and for bradygnathism of the maxillary beak.
I don’t think anyone will dispute the fact that birds are unpredictable.
I listen to the clipped wings camp and one of the things I hear repeatedly is “I keep my birds wings clipped so it doesn’t fly into a wall” Something pet bird keepers who clip their bird’s wings predict with absolute certainty.
I recently saw an ad on the Internet for bird training treats. What was interesting to me was in recommending bird treats similar to NutriBerries. Don’t get me wrong we love NutriBerries and think it’s a great treat, just not for training.
Before I get ahead of myself when I speak of training when it comes to birds (horses and dogs do well with this) I talk about clicker training.
We talked about wing clipping adversely affecting your bird’s feet and that clipping your bird’s wings may cause your bird to scream more
One of my favorite things to do is “muddy the waters” will. Wing clipping is not simply a two-dimensional subject. It’s not just about whether should I clip my bird’s wings or not.
Greg Glendell One of Europe’s foremost parrot behaviorists talks about the “quality of wing clipping” here (more…)
Okay all you pet bird keepers whose birds have clipped wings, I can see all of you rolling your eyes from here. “What’s he up to now Virginia? How in the world can wing clipping and screaming be related?”
Today I have science on my side – and who can argue with science? From the blog “the Scorpion in the Frog… It’s in our nature” by Miss Behavior who’s real name is Sarah Jane Alger and she is a biologist
Mitch,
Are you saying you don’t keep your birds in a cage? Ever? Like they just roam around the house all day?
How do you keep from stepping on them, what about electrical cords that might look like a toy to them while you’re not observing?
What about things like china plates on a hutch they could fly into and hurt themselves?
I would love to let them lose but how would I keep an eye on them say if they’re upstairs and I’m down? They get into EVERYTHING!
Imagine a world where you spend every day looking at, reading about, or having conversations with other pet bird keepers. File this under “be careful what you wish for.” That said I will tell anyone upfront, I’m not an expert on caged bird keeping. I don’t have a degree – in anything. I haven’t written a book – yet.
